Seal-lock.



PATBNTED APR. 19, 1904.

J. D. G. KNAPP.

SEAL LOCK.

APPLIoATIoN-HLBD Nov. 2. 100s.

2 "SHEETB--BHEIET 1.

N0 IODBL.

No. 757,814. L

. PATBNTBD APR. 19, 1904. J.-D. c. KNAPP. y l

SEAL LUCK.

N0 MODEL.

APPLIUATION FILED NOV. Z, 1903.

2 SHEETS-BHBBT 2;

I ,la 24, Lf

mv: Nonmsyarcns cq. Pnnrouwo.. WASHINGTON, n cv UNITED STATES Patented Apri119, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

SEALLOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 757,814, dated April 19, 1904. i

Application filed November 2, 1903. Serial No. 179,449. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, JOHN D. C. KNAPP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Seal-Locks; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has for its object to provide an improved seal-lock, so called, especially adapted for use to lock and seal freight-car doors.

To this end the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described, and defined in the claims.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Figui-e1 is a front elevation of the seallock, some parts being broken away. Fig. 2 is a similar view to Fig. 1, but showing the lock-piece moved from its working' position. Fig. 3 is a view corresponding to Fig. 2, but with the lock-hook removed therefrom. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken approximately on the line mim* of Fig. 1, but with some parts left in full. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the lock-hook removedV from working position. Fig. 6 is a section on the line m6 fr of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a transverse section taken through the complete device on the line m7 m7 of Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a view corresponding to Fig. 3, but with parts broken away and with the punchbar located under instead of over the cam.- dogs. Fig. 9 is a detail in elevation showing a connected pair of the cam-dogs. Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic view showing the dogs illustrated in Fig'. 8 as if straightened out, and Fig. 11 is a face View of the fragile sealing-plate or the seal proper.

The hasp-plate 1, which is preferably of malleable iron, is provided at one end with a perforation 2, through which a staple 3 (indicated in part in Fig'. 1 by dotted lines) may be passed to secure said haspplate to the cardoor. (Not shown.) At its free end said hasp-plate is formed with vertically-spaced staple-passages 4 and 5, the latter of which are located in line with the former, but are spaced longitudinally outward therefrom for a purpose which will presently appear. At its intermediate portion the hasp-plate 1 is formed with a depressed cylindrical pocket 6, having an axial trunnion 7. The lock-lever 8 is pivotally connected to the trunnion 7 by a rivet 9 or similar device. The extended portion of the lock-lever 8 is adapted to lie between the upper and lower staple-passages 4 and 5. For cooperation with the pairof passages 4 said lock-lever is provided with reversely-projecting staple-hooks 10 and likewise for cooperation with the pair of staplepassages 5 with a pair of reversely-projecting staple-hooks 11. indicated by dotted lines.

The base or pivoted end of the lock-lever 8 is made of disk-like form, so as to constitute a complete cover to the open side of the pocket 6 of the hasp-plate, and on its outer face it is formed with a diametrically and longitudinally extended seal-holder 13, which holder is open at one end, closed at the other by a segmental web 14, and is formed on its outer face with retaining-flanges 15, that overlap with the Vedges of the seal-plate. The said sealplate 16 is of a form to lit within the holder 13, with the main portion of its facev exposed In Fig. 1 a staple 12 is to View, but in'such manner that' it can be rem`ovedl without breaking only through the open end of said holder. When the lock-lever 8 isin a normal locked position, as shown in Fig. 1, the open end of the seal-holder 13 is closed by a segmental retaining-fiange 17 ,rigid on the hasp-plate 1. v It will of course be understood that any desirable data, such as the name of the railway and the number of the seal, may be imprinted or otherwise marked on the exposed face of the seal 16. The seal-plate 16 is advisably made of porcelain or baked clay, but may be made of any other fragile or friable material. w

A punch-bar 18 is mounted to oscillate around and to move laterally on the trunnion 7. This bar 18 has a plurality of punchingstuds 19, as shown four in number, which work through perforations in the central web portion of that part of the lock-lever 8 which I OO affords a back for the seal-pocket 13. The punches 19 cause the bar 18 to.oscillate with the lock -lever 8, but permit the said bar to move laterally, so as to project the punches against the seal, and thus break the same.

The lateral movements of the punch-bar 18 are controlled by cam-acting ratchet-dogs located within the pocket 6 of the hasp-plate. These dogs '2O are arranged in right and left pairs andare pivoted at 21 to the flange of the pocket 6. Said dogs 20, as will be noted by reference particularly to Figs 3 and 8, are segmental-that is, are all disposed concentrically to the axis' of the trunnion 7, but with the free ends ofthe upper and lower dogs spaced apart far enough to permit the reduced ends of the punching-bar 18 to pass between them; also, the said dogs are cut away adjacent to their pivots to afford clearance-passages 22 through which the ends of said punching-lever may pass. The free ends of said dogs 2O are on their outer faces beveled or made cam shape, and on their under edges they are formed with ratchet-teeth 23. An annular spring 24; presses against the several dogs 2O and against the overlying disklik'e portion of the lock-lever 8 and yieldingly holds the said dogs with their teeth pressed against the bottom of the pocket 6.

The operation of the device is substantially as follows: When the lock-lever 8 is in its locking position, (indicated in Fig. 1,)' the punch-bar 18 will stand with its reduced ends between the free ends of the upper and lower dogs 20, and the punches 19 will be retracted and held inward by the seal 16, which seal is of course at such times locked within the holder 13 of the said lock-lever by the detaining-flanges 17 of the hasp-plate. When, however, the lock-lever is moved eitherv in the one direction or the other from its locking position just noted, the reduced ends of the punch-bar 18 will be forced to ride up and over the cam ends and on the outer faces of the dogs 20, that stand diametrically opposite veach other, (see Fig. 3,) and this movement of the said bar forces the punches 19 outward and breaks the seal into fragments. When the lock-lever 8 is turned into a verticall position, the reduced ends of the punch-bar 18 stand in line with the notches 22, so that the punch-bar may then be forced into a retracted position, and an unbroken or new sealplate 16 may then be inserted into the holder 13 of the lock-lever. Then when the locklever is again turned toward its locking position the ends of the punch-bar pass under the teeth 23 of the dogs 20 and are locked against return movements, thereby making it impossible to again move the lock-piece back into a seal-receiving position without first having moved the same completely to its locking position.

From what has been said it will be understood that the teeth 23 of the dogs 20, that stand diametrically opposite each other, are beveled in reverse directions and that the one diametricallyV opposite pair operate upon the ends of the punch-bar when the lock-lever 8 is moved from its locking position to one side of the hasp, while the other pair of diametrically opposite' dogs operate upon the said punch-bar when the said lock-lever is moved to the other side of the hasp-plate. The locklever should always be arranged to move upward to unlock and break the seal. The above arrangement of the dogs 2O and of the staplepassages 4 make this always possible regardless of'which edgel of the hasp-plate is turned upward. In other words, the device is arranged to operate in the same manner whether it be applied to a door arranged to open toward the right or toward the left.

The two pairs of longitudinally-spaced sta- Y ple passages enable the door to be locked either in a tightly-closed or in aslightly-open position. When the staple is passed through one of the passages 4c, the door may be locked in its tightly-closed position, while when the staple is passed through one of the staple-passages 5' the door will be locked in its slightlyopen position, this latter condition being very desirable in order to give ventilation to cars containing fruit or where for other reasons the car requires ventilation. In some instances, however, this provision for locking the door in a slightly-open position may not be desired, and in this case the hasp-plate 1 will be cut off at its free end, as indicated by the dotted lines marked 25 on Fig. 2, and the lock-lever 8 would be cut off, as indicated by the dotted lines marked-26 in the same view.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

1. The combination with a hasp, alock-lever pivoted thereto, and a seal-holder from which the seal can be removed intact only when said lever is in an unlocking position, of a sealpunch, mounted to oscillate with, but to move laterally with respect to, said lock-lever, and one or more cam-dogs, over which said punch rides, under the unlocking movement of said lever, to break the seal, and under which said punch rides under the locking movement of thelsaid lever, without movement to break the sea 2. The combination with a hasp, a lock-'lever pivoted thereto, and a seal-holder fromwhich the seal is removable intact only when said lever is in an unlocking position, of one or more cam-acting ratchet-dogs, and a seal-punch mounted to oscillate with, but to move laterally with respect to, said lever, which punch, under the unlocking movement of said lever, rides over the cam-surfaces of said dogs, and breaks the seal, and under the locking movement of said lever rides under the ratchetteeth of said dogs and locks said lever against unlocking movements, eXcept when the said lever has iirst been moved to its locking position.

IOO

3. The combination with ahasp, a lock-lever pivoted thereto, and a seal-holder from which the seal can be removed intact only when said lever is in an unlocking position, of a sealpunch, mounted to oscillate with, but to move laterally with respect to, said lever, and a diametrically opposite pair of reversely-extended, pivoted cam-dogs, cooperating with reverse projections of said punch, to cam said punch laterally and break the seal, under the unlocking movement of said lock-lever, but permitting said punch to remain in a retracted position under the locking movement of said ever.

4. The combination with a hasp. having a pocket and a seal-detaining flange, of a locklever pivoted to said hasp and having a sealholder, the entrance to which is closed by said detaining-iange when said leverY is in locking position, cam-acting ratchet-dogs pivotally mounted within the pocket of said hasp, and a punch-bar having punches working through said lock-lever and into the seal-holder, which punches cause said punch-bar to oscillate with said lever, but permit the same to move laterally, said punch-bar further having projections which ride over said dogs, to break the seal, under the unlocking movement of said lever, but pass under the teeth of said ratchetlogs, under the locking movement of said ever.

5. The combination with a hasp, a lock-lever pivoted thereto, and a seal-holder from which the seal can be removed intact only when said lever is in an unlocking position, of reversely-acting pairs of pivoted cam-dogs, mounted in said hasp, and a seal-punch,mount ed to oscillate with, but to move laterally with respect to said lever, said punch having projections which cooperate with the one pair of cam-dogs, when said lock-lever is moved to one side of its locking position, and which cooperate with the other pair of dogs when said lever is moved on the other side of its locking position, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a hasp having the longitudinally spaced pairs of verticallyspaced staple-passages, of alock-lever pivoted to said hasp, and having the reversely-projecting pairs of hooks, the one pair of hooks cooperating with the one pair of staple-passages, and the other pair of hooks coperating with the other pair of staple-passages, and means for holding the seal when said lever is in a locking position, and for breaking' the seal when said lever is moved in either direction away from its locking position, substantially as described.

7. The combination with the hasp 1, having the pocket 6, detaining-ange 17, and the staple-passages 4, of the lock-lever 8, having the reversely-projecting hooks 10, and formed with the seal-holder 13, within which the seal is held by said flange 17 against displacement intact when said lever is in a locking position, the upper and lower pairs of reverselyacting ratchet toothed cam-dogs 20, pivoted within said pocket 6, and the punch-bar 18, mounted to oscillate aud move laterally within said pocket 6, and having the projecting punches 19 working through the back of said seal-holder, whereby said punch-bar is caused to oscillate with said lock-lever, said punchbar further having projecting ends which, when said lever is moved from its locking position, ride over the diamctrically opposite cam-dogs to break the seal, and when said lever ismoved toward its locking position, ride under the ratchet-teeth of said dogs, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have aiiixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN D. C. KNAPP.

Witnesses:

ELIZABETH H'. KELIHER, F. D. MERCHANT. 

